


Capital Punishment

by beadedslipper



Series: The Cully Wully Ficlet Saga [5]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 02:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3232688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beadedslipper/pseuds/beadedslipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Inquisitor Trevelyan has to sentence someone to death hits her hard.  Cullen comforts her through it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Capital Punishment

She’s never sentenced someone to die before. After Redcliffe, she sent Alexius to the mages to help them rebuild. She liked the poetic justice of it. As for Samson, she probably should have sent him to the headsman or even taken his life herself, but when she looked at him all she could see was Cullen. Cullen and the fate he had escaped. It so easily could have been Cullen kneeling before her for judgment, warped by anger and lyrium. And she knew he knew it as well. It’s why he asked to be present for the judgment. So no, she couldn’t sentence Samson to death. An eternity in the dungeons would have to be enough.

It’s not like she hasn’t killed anyone before. She spent almost every moment since she got the mark killing something or other, whether it was demons, bandits, Tevinter mages, or red Templars. But that was the heat of battle. It was them or her and her friends. When someone was swinging a sword at your head it wasn’t so difficult to take theirs from their shoulders.

But now?

A widespread conspiracy had tried to assassinate everyone who ever had anything to do with the Inquisition’s victory over Corypheus. They went to Val Royeux for the Empress, they went after Leliana in the palace of the Divine, and they came here to Skyhold. They crept into her room in the dead of night, while she and Cullen slept peacefully in each other’s arms, and tried to murder them both. More assassins were spread throughout Skyhold, sent for Josephine, Cassandra, Varric, Dorian, and Sera. The others had been called off to attend to various duties in their own countries or they likely would have been targeted too. The whole operation was meant to happen at the same moment to simultaneously destabilize the Empire and the Chantry and put an end to the Inquisition.

Fortunately no one actually died. Josephine was the most badly injured, with a stab wound in her shoulder. The guards had been rendered unconscious with a tonic in their evening mug of thick soup which meant they had a traitor on the inside. Fortunately, Leliana had spies posted at Skyhold after rumors of such an attempt reached her ears. They saved Josephine’s life.

Everyone else was more than capable of taking care of themselves and they did. Decisively. Cullen practically tore two of the three assassins sent for just the two of them into pieces so great was his rage. He did not take well to threats on her life. The one he didn’t get she took down with a sharp rap to the base of the skull. She was determined to have at least one to question.

The rest had either been caught or killed and the survivors now knelt before her, including the traitor, a scullery worker who had only joined up after Corypheus’ downfall. Every single one had been turned over to the Inquisition for sentencing.

She knew what she was expected to do, what had to be done. A weed had to be stopped at the root. For the sake of everyone affected she had no real choice. It didn’t make it any easier to answer Cassandra, standing in for Josephine, when she asked for the Inquisitor’s verdict.

She forced herself to keep her voice firm and sure. She forced herself to look them in the eyes when she made her pronouncement.

“Death.”

The sentence was carried out immediately in the snow outside Skyhold’s walls. She stood at the front of the crowd to witness the execution. It was the least she could do. Cullen was a stoic, supportive presence at her side. She wished she could lean into him and let him hold her up for this. The rest of her friends and advisors surrounded the two of them, a wall between her and the crowd, lending silent credence to her verdict.

She flinched every time the thud of the headsman’s axe echoed across the mountains. When it was over, all she could focus on was the spray of red blood against the stark white mountains. It seemed wrong.

Cullen led her back into Skyhold with a gentle hand on the small of her back. The others followed.

“Inquisitor. We should address the potential threat this group still poses.” Cassandra prompted in perhaps the gentlest tone she had ever used.

She took a deep breath, trying to force her mind to be strong. She was the Inquisitor. She had done her duty. Now there was more work to do.

“No.” Cullen interrupted firmly. “The Inquisitor will be retiring to her quarters for the remainder of the day. Any additional business can wait until tomorrow.”

“But…”

“It can wait until tomorrow Cassandra.”

There must have been something in Cullen’s eyes because Cassandra let Varric lead her away with talk of a new chapter of Swords and Shields.

She was content, relieved even, to let Cullen take control. He led her gently through the hall and into her quarters, locking the door behind them.

Once in her room, he carefully peeled her stiff, formal robes from her body until she was only in her breast band and smalls. His hands left her only long enough to put himself in a similar state of undress. Then he lifted her and sat them both on the bed, curled under the covers, with her wrapped in his arms and cradled in his lap.

His large form surrounded her, cutting her off from the rest of the world. He stroked her hair from the crown of her head all the way down her back. He placed gentle kisses on her forehead and temples.

“I killed them.” She whispered.

“Yes.” He agreed.

“They were defenseless and I killed them.”

“They would have killed you. They would have killed all of us without hesitation. Hardly defenseless.” He told her. She hit his shoulder with her head. He kissed her hair. “You did the right thing love.”

“I know.”

“You protected everyone you care about.”

“I know.”

“You’re still a good person.” He told her firmly.

Her breath hitched but she didn’t say anything. Gentle fingers lifted her chin until she was forced to meet his golden eyes.

“You are a good person. You are caring and determined and fiercely protective. You are the woman I love.”

A tear slid down her cheek and she buried her face in his shoulder. “I hope I never have to do that again.” She murmured into his skin. A foolish wish but she made it anyway.

“And I will do everything I can to make sure it happens as little as possible.” He promised.

She tilted her head up, asking for a kiss. He responded, his lips gentle and soft against hers. It was comforting. He couldn’t think her a monster if he still kissed her like that.

He ended the kiss slowly with brushes of his lips to her cheeks and jaw and eyelids.

“I love you.” She whispered.

“I love you. Try to sleep. Tomorrow will be better.”

Safe, here in his arms, knowing that she was loved, she could almost believe it was true.


End file.
